BuzzFeed Books probably won’t have reviews, at least not traditional ones, Burton said. Lists and “book identity features” will be more of what you’ll find there. Librarians and fans of young-adult fiction are already reading the site in numbers, she said, and BuzzFeed is already playing with public domain works.

“I chose Robert because it is one of my favourite men’s names, because Robert F Kennedy is my hero and because, mercifully, I hadn’t used it for any of the characters in the Potter series or ‘The Casual Vacancy,'” Rowling writes. “Galbraith came about for a slightly odd reason. When I was a child, I really wanted to be called ‘Ella Galbraith,’ and I’ve no idea why.”

By pre-selling these big-name novels, Amazon removes even the possibility that you might see and buy a copy in your local bookstore in October. Let local merchants sponsor readings by Elizabeth Gilbert this fall; by that time, her most ardent fans will already have her book in hand. The competition for buyers is over even before it begins.

I wonder what percentage of first month sales are pre-orders? Is this a significant advantage?